On the Edge of Despair
by TAPSfan201
Summary: Seto had traveled for so long. Ever since the Glass Cage finale at the Red Tower, Seto had been alone. He pushed on, not losing hope. Until one day his emotions became too much. Hurtling towards the pit of despair, he is pulled back by the one person he missed more than anyone else. It was a miracle. He could never lose hope again.


**Another one-shot for these two. I really think they need more love, but the fanbase for the game is pretty small. This is a "what-if" about Seto reaching a breaking point only to be brought back to the light by the one person he never thought he would see again.**** I am working on a longer story, an AU based on guilds. I'm trying to write at least half before I post anything.**

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Empty. Scorching pain.

That's what it has come to. Seto has searched for three years. Three long and lonely years. Other than Ren, he had never found anyone. Ren had disappeared after staying for a few months. Most likely as a way of repaying him for his help. He hadn't seen her again. In all that time he had hoped _someone_ was out there. The city was large. Even in the last three years he had failed to explore the entire city. Some places were crumbling, too dangerous to go into. Other were blocked by debris.

The remains of the city's population could be found everywhere, as well as their spirits. Though, only a few seemed to be recent. That had engrained a sense of guilt into the young boy. If only he had found them in time. Maybe he could have saved them. Seto held out hope that if these deaths were recent, then others could still be out there. But where? He had agonized over this. Now, he was at his breaking point.

Seto had found a small apartment earlier that day. Its condition was miraculous considering it had been abandoned sine the Glass Cage incident.

The genkan was made of laminated wood, so it had managed to off the issue of rot better than the natural wood structures he had seen. The same could be said for the res of the house, thought the walls had water damage. The kitchen was mostly intact except for the rusting of the stove- not that it would work anyway. Same for the fridge. The furniture consisted of a kotatsu, bookcases, and two futons. One of the bookcases was beyond use, the book piled at the bottom. The kotastu and futons, however, could be salvaged with a good cleaning. He had decided to stay even if nightfall was hours away. A fleeting thought of making this home crossed his mine.

An alien thought.

Part of him had panicked at its intrusion. Besides the observatory, Seto had never had a home. He had always focused on moving continuously. To find people. Did this thought mean he was giving up? Was he truly ready for that?

It was crushing. The despair that came over him caused him to collaps onto the floor with a heart wrenching cry. He didn't want to be alone. He missed his friends. PF and her motherly concern. She had been dependable and so very comforting. Sai had been what he imagined an older sister to be. Always making sure he stayed on track. If he still had them, he could have kept going.

But the deepest ache in his heart was for Crow, his best friend. In reality they had only known each other for a day. It hadn't stopped the irreversible wound to his heart when he witnessed those bright green eyes darken and go blank. He had cried for hours after his friend died in his arms. The repetition that Seto was his best friend still echoed in his head. As tears poured out of Byzantine eyes, landing on the dusty floor, he recalled how many times he had prayed for Crow to show up with his usual acrobatics. At times he would hear that familiar teasing laughter echoing down an alley or a hallway. It was never actually there. His heart would break a little more each time.

And with this onslaught of despair it had shattered.

For all his wailing, Seto failed to notice the deluge that came pouring down. It wasn't until the temperature had dropped a few degrees and he had stopped crying that he registered the change. His shivering now being a side effect of the cold and not his emotions.

The sun was setting by the time he had gotten himself together. Breathing was shaky at best, and his eyes stung do the number of tears that had fallen. A burning sensation was left in his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to find a drink in his case. Dragging himself to the kotatsu, Seto brushed it off with heavy hands. He'd clean the futons properly tomorrow. Right now, all he could do was make sure the cover of the table was useable.

The storm raged as he managed to cover himself. The lids of his eyes were heavy. He had forgotten how exhausting crying was. The last time he had done so was when Ren left. Maybe he was just tired of traveling. If he rested here for a week or two, he would be able to search again.

With that spark of hope, Seto allowed himself to slip into a dreamless sleep.

…

Smoke. Why did he smell smoke? The next thing Seto knew was that he was warm. Much warmer than last night. Why? He had been cold, barely able to crawl under the kotastu. Blinking slowly, the light of the morning filled his vision. His eyes closed slightly as they attempted to adjust to the assault.

When his vision cleared, Seto first looked for the cause of the smoke. He found a small fire set up in the base of a steel pot. It was smoldering at this point, but Seto didn't remember starting it. The realization brought him up to his feet, wide eyes searching the room. Was…was there someone here?

There had to be!

A real person had found him! He could feel tears of relief and joy building. He had dreamed of this for so long he was almost afraid to believe it.

That is until he saw a figure in the next room. They were searching through the kitchen cabinets for food. There was already a stack of non-perishables on the counter. A trash can was being filled with what had gone bad.

As Seto inched forward he thought the figure looked familiar. They were covered with a black coat with purple and yellow stripes. A yellow scarf was wrapped around his neck. But what truly caught Seto's attention was the hat: a purple captain's hat. It was so familiar that Seto froze, taking in a sharp breath.

The figure stopped mid-reach into the cabinet. They turned to face the sell shocked boy, green eyes and a smirk adorning their face. Seto had only seen that face in his dreams. It was fuzzy at best, as he could never seem to recreate it. It was never exactly right. Just an image that slipped out of his hands when he would get close. Maybe his dreams had finally gotten it right. Or he had finally snapped.

_Crow_, his best friend was standing in front of him. But…he had died. Miles away from here. How was this possible? Strong hands grasped his own and his heart stopped. They were touching…It wasn't a dream!

Disbelieving eyes met with amused green. There was something else in his friend's eyes. It was soft, a foreign glint that Seto hadn't seen in Crow's eyes except for their very last moments together in the dam. The hands moved from his to cup his face, wiping away stray tears. The smirk softened into a warm smile.

"You really are a cry baby."

Hearing his friend's voice for the first time in three years was like gift from god. Throwing his arms around the taller boy's neck, Seto allowed himself to put his guard down. He wasn't alone. Finally.

Crow returned the hug eagerly, "I've been looking for you everywhere. For a little guy you have a lot of stamina."

Seto pulled back enough to look at Crow's face.

"But you died. How are even here?"

Crow sighed. Keeping an arm around the smaller boy, he led them both back into the living room. He sat Seto down at the table before digging out a drink and meal kit from the suitcase. Setting them down in front of the boy, Crow sat down next to him.

"Eat while explain." Crow waited until the meal kit was opened before continuing. "I thought I was done for when we met up at the dam. I felt heavy and everything was going dark. The next thing I know I'm waking up. Like I was just taking a nap. Instead of seeing you though, I saw this group starring at me. I was plugged into some kind of power source. Apprently, they had made a little community there and were trying rebuild some of the technology. They found me and thought I was salvageable."

Seto took it all in, swallowing a bit of his meal. Three years looking for people and they were at the dam? He had avoided going back there because he knew he would see Crow's body. He had thought about burying it like he did with PF. Something inside him told him it was a bad idea. He was so happy he hadn't.

"Well, after they woke up, I figured out what was going on. They said the demons and monsters disappeared three years earlier. Some said they had seen weird lights and heard what sounded like a fight at the Red Tower." Crow smirked at Seto who hid his embarrassment by eating. "After that I told them I had to find you. They warned me that you might not be alive after this ling, but you're too stubborn to die like that."

Crow took a moment to look around the room. It was nice. He wouldn't mind staying here, but Seto would want to at least go see these people. They would need to bring food, and the futons would be welcomed. Now that he knew how to charge himself, Crow wasn't worried about overdoing things. He'd have to teach Seto, just to make sure. It _would_ be safer with the power source the dam could potentially create. Glancing at Seto, he could see those gem-like eyes shining with excitement.

"We'll go as soon as you finish."

Tugging the other closer he layed a small kiss on brown hair. Seto flushed as he recalled their first kiss. He had grown up and found books to read while he traveled. He knew friends didn't kiss. Closing his eyes contently, he knew where this was heading. The butterflies in his stomach spoke volumes. It was exciting.

As long as he was with Crow, he could be happy.


End file.
